Turning the Page of Destiny
by StoryGirl83
Summary: Sequel to JustEs' "Our Screwed Up Destiny". The girls and their loved ones must deal with the consequences, both good and bad, to their decisions following the Angel of Destiny's offer. AU where Kernus rather than Shax caused the death of a sister in AHBL
1. Cause and Effect

TURNING THE PAGE OF DESTINY

Written by StoryGirl83 with help from the one, the only, the original PrimroseEmpath and Esmeralda

NOTE from StoryGirl83: Hi, I totally enjoyed this story, but when it ended, I wanted more, so I wrote this. It begins pretty much as soon as the original story by Esmeralda and Primrose Empath ends. I loved the fact that Paige got her parents back. I wanted Darryl, Victor, and potentially others to find out Andy and Piper were back. I just wanted more. I hope you enjoy the story.

NOTE from Primrose & Es: We certainly enjoy this version and we're happy that StoryGirl let us tweak it to make it sound more like a sequel to our fic. We hope you enjoy this chance at another visit to our alternate universe where now all four Charmed Ones are alive!

ADDITIONAL NOTE from StoryGirl83: This story is a sequel to "Our Screwed Up Destiny" by Esmeralda and PrimroseEmpath which can be found on this site by going to the fanfiction page of JustEs (Esmeralda above). I highly recommend reading their story first. It will explain a whole bunch of questions you might have if you just start this one. For those of you who don't their story is built on the idea that when Shax attacked Piper was the one who died instead of Prue. Except, as you will find out while reading this, is wasn't Shax who attacked. Kernus belongs to someone. I just wish I could remember who. If I remember I will alter this to give credit to them. Probably JustRo. Beyond that, you're just going to have to read and find out.

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Chapter 1.1 – Cause and Effect

Paige crossed the room quickly to hug her parents. "Dad! Mom!" _Unbelievable. This is simply unbelievable. Looks like I didn't lose them after all._

A few feet away Prue, Phoebe, and Leo stared at Piper. Prue itched to run to her sister's side, but recognized that it was Leo who should go to her first. She felt someone behind her as arms came around her in a hug. She looked up and smiled at Andy. Not only had she gotten her sister back, but she was going to get another chance with Andy. _Does it really get any better than this?_

Phoebe hugged Cole, a huge smile on her face. Her sisters were alive and well. Her beloved was mortal and would no longer have to fight against the demonic nature he inherited from his mother. _Sure, I'm going to miss magic, but this is so much better._

Leo stared at Piper, unable to believe his eyes. Alive. His Piper was alive.

Piper grinned at him. "Aren't you going to say something?" She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him.

Leo hugged her back just as tightly and then kissed her. "You're alive," he whispered in awe. _And now I won't have to worry about some demon trying to kill you at every corner._

Paige let go of her parents and brought them over to Prue, Phoebe, and their guys. "I want you to meet my parents." She turned a big smile at her parents. Looking back at the others she said, "This is John and Mary Matthews. Dad, Mom, it looks like I have sisters, or more specific, half-sisters. This is Prue and Phoebe Halliwell." Paige turned to her parents and told them, "Prue's the one with Andy behind her. Next to Phoebe is her boyfriend, Cole."

John Matthews held out his hand to Andy. "You chose your mortal life back, huh, Andy?"

Andy nodded. "This is a second chance I've always wanted, a chance to be with Prue as a normal mortal couple. And since she gave up her powers..." He looked down at Prue before holding out one hand to accept John's. "Don't worry; I'm not leaving you without a whitelighter." He looked across the attic to where Leo and Piper were still embracing, no longer kissing, just holding each other. "I'd introduce you, but he's kind of busy right now."

Downstairs the sound of the doorbell caught the attention of all nine in the attic. For a moment no one said anything, and then Prue reluctantly extracted herself from Andy's arms. "I guess I'll go see who's at the door."

She walked down the two flights of stairs in silence, wondering who would be bothering them today. _Maybe it's Victor. I'm still not sure if I want to talk to him, but he'll be happy to know that Piper is once more alive. I wonder what he'll think of Phoebe's and my giving up our powers. Magic has never been his thing--he and Grams sure argued about it enough. I guess I can't fault him for his actions then. It's afterwards, not just giving up on fighting Grams for custody, but entirely disappearing from our lives. That's what I still have a problem with. Although his calling me Prue rather than Prudence helped..._

She reached the bottom of the second set of stairs and walked out to the front hall, trying to figure out who was there, by looking at the silhouette through the thick colored glass. Unfortunately she only got a sense of the familiar, although she was pretty certain that it wasn't her father.

She opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Darryl. "Hi."

Darryl gave her a weary look. "Hi. I just finished with processing the scene where that woman fell. Was she the one at Piper's funeral?"

Prue nodded. "Yes, that was she."

"She's the third dead body that has turned up tonight fitting her same basic stats. Is there more to this that I should know?"

Prue sighed. "Come in." She led him into the living room.

"Another demon I take it."

Prue nodded. "_The_ demon. The Source of All Evil, Kernus."

"Kernus?" Darryl asked, concerned. "Isn't he the one who killed Piper?"

Prue nodded, wondering how she was supposed to tell him about Piper. How was she supposed to tell anyone about Piper, about Andy?


	2. See to Believe

First a thank you to my reviewer:

lizardmomma – When I saw you on the review page for "Our Screwed Up Destiny" I hoped that you would notice this, since I knew you read my stories and this is a sequel to that. I'm glad you decided to check it out. I hope you enjoy it.

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Chapter 1.2 – See to Believe

"She looked a lot like Piper, didn't she?" Darryl asked cautiously. "I noticed that when I saw her this afternoon."

Prue nodded again. "He was tormenting us, by going after witches who looked like us."

"He told you that?" Darryl asked skeptically.

Prue shook her head. "No, Grams did."

"Isn't she dead?"

"Her ghost," Prue admitted with a smile. "She had something to tell us, so the Elders let her come down."

Darryl eyed her smile. "Is there something else you aren't telling me?"

Prue frowned for a moment before she nodded. "I think this is something I'm just going to have to show you." She headed out of the room and toward the stairs. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs to make sure he was following her. Seeing that he wasn't she asked, "Are you coming?"

Darryl nodded. "I would appreciate it if you just told me what was going on, Prue."

"I know," Prue admitted as she started up the stairs, "but this is one of those things that is just too amazing to believe without seeing."

Darryl stopped. "So this is good news?"

Prue stopped and turned around, a smile on her face. "Very. To start with, because we defeated Kernus..."

"You defeated Kernus?" Darryl asked, stunned. "I thought you said it required the Power of Three."

Prue nodded. "Yes, that is what Grams was here for. There was a way to get back the power of three with our...half-sister." Prue still wasn't sure what to think of that. Oh, she believed it now, but she wasn't sure she could ever consider Paige as her sister. That was not the kind of news you sprang on a fully-grown woman.

"You have a half-sister?"

Prue nodded as she started climbing the stairs again. "Apparently. It's a long story, and I don't really know much about it."

"So you defeated Kernus with her?" Darryl exhaled slowly, as he too started climbing the stairs again. "Well, every demon gone is one fewer who will have victims whose family I have no explanation as to why their parent, child, sibling is dead and one less who is dead." He looked over at her. "Remind me to repeat this to Phoebe, but thank you for getting these demons. I know it's impossible to get them all, but every one helps."

"Turns out it's possible," Prue informed him as she reached the second-floor landing. At Darryl's stunned expression she went on, "By defeating Kernus all demons are bound to the underworld, at least for a long time."

"No more demons?" Darryl repeated, not sure he heard right.

Prue nodded, grinning. "No more demons."

"That's amazing."

Prue nodded. "And that's not all."

"Not all?" Darryl looked at her. "What could be better than that?"

Prue nodded. "I don't suppose anything could be better than all those potential innocents being safe from demons, but this certainly is high up on my list." She started toward the attic stairs.

"What are you talking about?" Darryl asked following her. When Prue ignored him and headed up the steps he shrugged and followed. "Can you please explain?"

Prue stopped at the top of the stairs and waited for Darryl. "Miracles can happen," she told him before opening the door. She pushed the door open all the way and stepped out of the way, letting Darryl see into the room.

Darryl saw Phoebe and Cole first. The two were talking to a middle-aged couple and a young woman who looked a lot like the three Halliwell sisters. He froze as he saw the sixth person in the small group.

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I am posting this the way PrimroseEmpath posted it in her special format, because she does a great job with the cliffhangers. Wouldn't you say?


	3. Two Not Dead

First a thank you to my reviewer:

Lizardmomma – I'm really glad you are enjoying this story.

I hope that more people will review and let me know what they think.

This section is kind of short, but it's to the end of the chapter. Enjoy.

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Chapter 1.3 – Two Not Dead

As if he felt Darryl's eyes on him, Andy looked up. He raised his eyebrows at Prue in question before he broke away from the group and walked over to where Darryl stood by the door. "I don't think this was the way to break it to him."

Prue shrugged. "I couldn't just not tell him, considering, and he was here, so I figured now worked as well as any."

"Andy?" Darryl stared at his former partner. "Aren't you dead?"

Andy smiled. "It's all right, Darryl. You aren't seeing things, and yes, I was dead."

Darryl thought about it. "Are you a whitelighter like Leo? I think he said he became one when he died."

Andy smiled. "I was."

"You were?"

Andy nodded.

"You mean you're alive again?"

Andy nodded. "I've been given a second chance."

Still finding it hard to believe, Darryl just stared for a moment. Then he couldn't help it. He had to reach forward and hug his friend, almost afraid that his arms would go right through him. When they didn't, he patted Andy on the back, feeling Andy's hand do the same thing to his. Then Darryl turned to Prue. "No more demons and Andy is alive, no wonder you are in such a good mood."

"There's more," Prue told him, grinning. "Turn around."

Darryl turned around. He saw two people wrapped up in each others' arms, talking in whispered voices, their heads close. He recognized Leo first, but had to look at the woman in his arms three times before believing. Despite seeing Andy, he hadn't expected to see her, but upon recognizing Leo, he knew there was only one person the woman could be. Even though they had just completed her funeral, Piper Halliwell-Wyatt was alive.

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Want to know what happens next? Review and I will start posting the next chapter.


	4. Explaining to Darryl

First a thank you to my reviewer:

Lizardmomma – Sorry. Next time, I'll look ahead on the chapters and if the ending section of a chapter is too short, I'll just combine it with the previous one.

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Chapter 2.1 – Explaining to Darryl

A few minutes had passed and Darryl was still dazed as he tried to take in everything that he had just been told. Looking first at Andy, then at Piper who was no longer in Leo's arms, he shook his head in amazement. "This is incredible, but how on earth are you going to explain it to the rest of the world?"

That was a question no one else seemed to have thought of. Phoebe was the first to speak. She turned to Paige. "Does anyone else know about your parents' death?"

Paige frowned and looked at her parents before turning to look at Andy. Finally, she turned back to Phoebe and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think so. I haven't seen anyone since Kernus killed them except for the people in this room and the Angel."

"Angel?" Darryl asked, once more confused.

It was Prue who explained. "The Angel of Destiny. After we defeated Kernus, he came and gave us a choice of giving up our powers or continuing being witches."

His curiosity piqued, Darryl had to ask the obvious question. "And what did you decide?"

"It was an easy enough choice for me," Prue told him with a smile. "I never wanted to be a witch in the first place." She shot a look in Phoebe's direction; and Phoebe rolled her eyes in response before Prue continued. "So once we were no longer needed to protect innocents from magical evil, it was easy to give up my powers." Looking over at Andy, she softly smiled. "And I'm very glad I made it, because had we not, I don't think the Angel would've given Andy, Leo, and Cole the same choice, about magic."

Darryl looked between the various occupants of the room. "So you're not witches anymore? None of you?"

"Actually just Prue and Phoebe aren't," Piper told him, speaking for the first time since he entered the room. "I kept my powers when given the same offer. When I found out that Leo had decided to remain a whitelighter, I knew I had to keep my powers so we could stay together," and Leo smiled at her. "Paige and her parents also kept their powers, but Andy gave up his powers and Cole is now fully human." She turned to Cole. "How's that feel by the way?"

Cole grinned. "It feels good, like something was crushing my chest and someone removed the weight. Relief. I no longer have to worry about doing something evil and losing Phoebe forever."

Phoebe grinned back. "Well, you still have to worry about doing something evil...being mortal won't stop you from doing that...but at least we don't have to worry about you using Belthazar's powers to do evil," and Cole nodded.

Darryl looked at Andy and Prue. "So how long have they known you were, well, all right, I guess?"

Andy grinned. "If you mean when did they find out I was a whitelighter? That was last night. I wasn't supposed to go to Prue or let her know I wasn't just a ghost, but she was hurting so much that I had to go to her."

"Then, where were you at the funeral when she needed you?" Darryl demanded, becoming more convinced that Andy really was back.

Andy kept grinning. "I was there. I couldn't very well walk into a funeral where there might have been any number of people who would recognize me, seeing as I grew up with Piper, so I went in glamour."

"Glamour?" Darryl asked, looking to anyone in the room who might be willing to explain that one.

"It's the ability to look like someone else," Leo told him. "It comes in handy when your charge doesn't need to know that you are following them because you are worried, or when they don't need to wonder why their handyman showed up at the grocery store behind them in line, three times in one week." The look in Leo's eyes as he said this told everyone who cared to look that both of these events had happened to Leo and that he had used glamouring for just those purposes.

"Oh," was all Darryl could say, "I see." Though it was clear he really couldn't. He turned back to Andy. "So I could have walked right by you and never known."

Andy nodded. "Actually at the funeral you did. Prue even introduced us."

Remember to reveiw if you want to find out what happens next. Hope you are enjoying the story.


	5. Not Exactly Perfect

Well, no one reviewed, but I decided I'm just going to get this story up to date, so hopefully someone will review some of the chapters, but either way, enjoy.

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Chapter 2.2 – Not Exactly Perfect

Darryl frowned. "The only person I was introduced to was . . ." his voice trailed off as realization came. "You were Cousin Manny!"

Andy nodded. "That was me. Thanks for including me in your eulogy by the way."

"I guess that explains why I had never heard of Cousin Manny," Darryl said with a chuckle. "I didn't think I would've forgotten you telling me about him. But what are you going to do now though? I know you are alive, again, but that's something awfully hard to explain to people who know nothing of magic."

The nine other people in the room looked at each other. Leo looked over at his wife with a sigh. "He's right. The Angel gave us a very amazing gift, but he didn't make everything perfect. We have to find a way to make our choices work."

Andy nodded. "I guess it wouldn't work so well if I were just to show up alive after being dead for two years." He looked at Prue next to him. "We'll figure this out though." Andy turned to Darryl. "Can you think of any logical reason why everyone thought both or even either of us dead and we aren't?"

Darryl shook his head. "Open-casket funerals don't leave much to guess at. It would have to be a very elaborate cover-up and I don't think you can create one. Even if you could, how could you explain this away to your family and friends, about why you never told them?" He looked at Andy and Piper. "On the other hand how are you supposed to get around it? You can't just pretend to be someone else." Darryl raised an eyebrow at Andy as an idea suddenly popped into his head. "Or can you? I mean you looked like someone else at the funeral. Could you do that on a regular basis? I could try to get used to seeing someone else and knowing it's you."

Andy shook his head. "I gave up my powers. I no longer can do that."

"Maybe I can," Piper commented, considering the idea. "I'm still a witch."

"You don't have that power though," Phoebe protested. "And even if you did, that wouldn't help Andy, so we'd still have to come up with a solution for him."

"A spell," Piper suggested. "After all, what good is keeping my magic if I can't use it?"

"Sounds a little too much like . . ." Prue trailed off.

"Personal gain?" Piper suggested with a grin. "Well, I don't have to worry about that anymore, now do I?"

"Nope," Paige agreed. "Neither do I. It's one of the main reasons I decided to keep my powers. Getting to use them without worrying about personal gain sounds like fun!"

Prue looked at her sister, then at Andy by her side, and returned her gaze to Piper. "Sounds like it's worth further thought." She looked back at Andy, wondering if she could get used to seeing him in another body. "I don't suppose there's a way to make it so we could still see you as you are."

Suddenly an idea hit and her eyes lit up. "Hey, Phoebs."

Phoebe turned to look at her. "What?"

"Even though you aren't a witch any more, you can still write spells and you were always the best at writing them. Think you could come up with a spell for this?"

"I guess," Phoebe shrugged. "Exactly what I am I writing a spell to do?"

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I hope that people will review, but I am going straight to putting in the next section. Enjoy.


	6. One Less Fear

Chapter 2.3 – One Less Fear

"Uh," Darryl waved his hands and tried to get their attention. "Guys?"

Andy inclined his head for Darryl to go on.

"I do have to get back to the station," Darryl told them. "I just came to see if there was anything else you could tell me about Mary Jones, anything I can put in a report."

Prue looked at Phoebe.

Phoebe looked at Cole.

Cole just shrugged.

Leo shook his head. "No, I don't think there is, Darryl. Phoebe got a premonition. Cole tried to find the location. They got there too late. Kernus blew her off the roof, and I couldn't save her. There's really nothing you can use there. Sorry."

Darryl nodded. "Well, at least from what Prue told me, from now on I'll be able to share the solution of any crime I solve with the rest of the police force."

Andy looked at him for a second before breaking out in a chuckle. "Yes, I guess you will at that." A slow grin began to grow on Andy's face. "No more unnaturally weird cases. No more completely unexplainable mishaps and deaths. Still plenty of horrible things caused by humans, but not by magic." He considered this silently for a moment. "Definitely an improvement."

Darryl nodded in agreement. "You're right. It certainly is an improvement." He turned back to the others in the room. "I guess I'd better get back to the station before someone wonders why it took me so long to find nothing."

"Just tell anyone who asks that your witnesses have already been through enough and you were being careful with your questions," Prue suggested, only to be interrupted by another chuckle from Andy. She turned to give him a look that was a mixture of annoyance and affection before looking back at Darryl. "Since you have to go, we'll try to figure out what to do about this."

"It was good to see you, again, Darryl," Piper told him. "And thank you for doing my eulogy. I know that had to be hard."

Darryl silently agreed. It had been hard. He smiled at her. "It was, but I'm glad it was such a short loss. It's nice to see you among the living again, Piper. And you, too, Andy. I am so glad to have you back alive. I missed you so much. Let me know when you figure out what you're going to do."

Andy nodded. "I definitely will. See you later, Darryl. It's wonderful to get to have my friends back as my friends."

"Good-bye, Darryl," Phoebe grinned cheerily.

"Thank you for stopping by," Leo added. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this. Hopefully it will be a long while before you investigate another death and at least then you'll have something to investigate."

Darryl nodded as he also said, "Good-bye," before turning around and heading out of the attic. Prue extracted herself from Andy's arms again, so that she could follow Darryl and shut and lock the front door behind him. It was such a good feeling as she left that attic, knowing that when she returned Andy and Piper would be there, alive, waiting, and she no longer had to fear the moment that the Elders took Andy away from her again. She grinned. She no longer had to fear the Elders doing anything!

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That's the end of chapter two. I have some people who really want an update on another story, so I'll update that and get on to chapter three. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	7. The Plan

Chapter – 3.1 – The Plan

When Prue returned to the attic, it was buzzing with various conversations. Phoebe, a pad of paper and pen in hand, was curled up on the couch, talking with Piper and Andy. Leo stood next to the couch at Piper's shoulder. Paige was talking with her parents, but from time to time she glanced over at the couch.

Phoebe looked up at the sound of the door closing. "Hey, Prue. Come on in. We've been trying to figure out what we want to do."

"And what have you decided so far?" Prue asked as she walked over.

"That Darryl's right," Piper answered, "and we can't just announce that Andy and I are alive. Some sort of glamour and new identities is our best bet."

"So we won't be able to acknowledge you as our sister," Prue replied, more than a bit disappointed. "Or acknowledge you as Andy," she added as she looked at him, the thought taking away some of the pleasure of his being alive.

Andy nodded. "Sorry, but it is a small price to pay for being alive."

Prue agreed, his words bringing things back into focus for her. "So any idea what you plan to do?"

"We haven't decided that yet," Phoebe admitted, looking down at the list on her lap. "Leo has a possibility though."

Prue looked up at Leo. "What's your idea?"

"I was thinking that just because the world can't know who they are doesn't mean that we can't see them as they are," Leo told her. "Since Piper and Paige and her parents can now use spells for personal gain without fearing a backlash, they should be able to include something that will let us, and anyone else they choose, see them as they really are."

Prue grinned at that suggestion. "Nice one, Leo. I like that. I didn't relish the idea of seeing someone else when I looked at them. Could it also include something so that if we slip and call them by their real names, those who can't see their true identites would hear the changed name?" As she spoke, she closed the distance between her and the couch and squeezed into the non-existent space between Phoebe and Andy.

Phoebe giggled as she scooted over closer to Piper. Seeing Prue and Andy cuddled up next to each on the couch, she looked to her other side at Piper with Leo standing behind her as if protecting his beloved. Suddenly feeling a bit lonely, she looked over at Cole standing by himself and raised an eyebrow.

Cole saw her raised eyebrow and smiled. "You sure you want me over there? It looks crowded."

Phoebe shrugged. "Who cares? We can fit more . . . somehow."

Cole came over and eyed the couch. "I'm not so sure about that."

Paige looked over at the crowd on the couch. She grinned at the sight of her semi-stuffy former whitelighter as he pulled Prue onto his lap so that there was more space onto the couch.

Prue giggled as she snuggled onto Andy's lap.

Cole smiled and sat down on the couch in the spot just vacated by Prue and Phoebe lay her head on his shoulder.

Prue twisted around enough on Andy's lap so that she could look up at him. "So who do you want to be?"


	8. A Family Affair

Chapter 3.2 – A Family Affair

"Well, seeing as being myself isn't really an option," Andy began, "I was thinking I could use this glamour that I've used around San Francisco. It's never a good idea, when you are not supposed to let those you used to know realize you are alive, to look like yourself when out in the open in your hometown, so I had a look I liked to use when I thought someone who might know me would be around."

"I remember that," Paige commented, walking over to them, closely followed by her parents. "You were trying to teach me about when not to use magic, so you took me to the park. When we got there, you got this panicked look on your face and changed to look like someone else. Why did you do that?"

Andy thought back, trying to remember the specific incident. "Oh," he chuckled after a moment. "Yes. Now I remember. Darryl was in the park with his son, Michael. Much as I would've liked to talk to him, I knew I wasn't allowed to."

"Well, now you are," Paige reminded him with a smile. She turned her attention to Phoebe. "Do you have a list of who will be able to see them normal?"

Phoebe shook her head. "We're not planning on making one. The idea is to write the spell so that it allows them to decide and if they want, they can add people to that list later on."

Paige nodded approvingly. "Sounds like a good idea. I'd love to help, but Andy thinks my spells pretty much suck." She looked up at her parents. "Maybe Dad can help. He's pretty good with spells."

Phoebe grinned. "I'd love the help if you are willing."

John nodded. "Certainly. Andy's been a great help to our family. I'd enjoy the opportunity to return the favor."

Andy inclined his head. "Thank you."

"We're still trying to figure out what we want this spell to do," Phoebe told John. "You're welcome to listen, but it's mostly for Piper and Andy with me as scribe."

John looked at Prue sitting on Andy's lap, Cole sitting next to Phoebe, and Leo standing behind the couch near Piper. He grinned. "Sure. I think it's a family affair."

Phoebe looked around her and grinned up at him. "Yeah, that, too. Like I said, you are welcome. I'm just saying there probably won't be a lot for you to say." She looked at the three Matthews. "You guys are sort of family, too, so don't let a 'family affair' stop you from joining in."

"At the very least, I don't think there is space on the couch," Mary reminded her.

Phoebe laughed softly. "Yeah, that's true. This couch is pretty full." She looked around the attic for more chairs. Frowning, she said, "Perhaps we should go downstairs where there is more room or at least more seats."

"Don't forget to close the blinds," Piper told her. "Until we have this done we don't want to risk anyone looking in the windows and seeing either me or Andy." She glanced around at the stained-glass windows. "Up here that isn't likely to happen."

"I highly doubt anyone is out and around at this hour," Prue said, looking at the same windows. "It was already late when we tried to save Mary Jones. Actually, we should probably get some sleep and get back to this in the morning." She looked at the three Matthews. "Would that be all right with you? I'm sure we'll all think a little better then."


	9. Until Morning

Chapter 3.3 – Until Morning

John looked at his wife and daughter. "I did promise to help Phoebe write that spell."

"You don't have to convince me, Dad," Paige assured him. "I want to get to know them."

Mary smiled. "I just got a second chance at life. I think I'm willing to call in at work for one day. Besides, if it wasn't for these girls and our Paige, Kernus would still be alive, so I want to help them, too." She looked at the full couch. "Besides, it's Andy we're talking about here, too."

"So in the morning?" Piper repeated. "Let's say 9:30 - 10ish? I can make breakfast."

"You have to come back in time for Piper's breakfast," Phoebe told them. "That--her cooking--was one of the things Prue and I missed most about her not being around."

"So I don't even have to cook?" Mary asked. "Maybe I should die more often."

John shook his finger at her. "Don't even think about it," and everyone laughed. Then he turned to the Halliwells and their friends. "We'll see you then." He looked past Prue at Andy. "Take care, Andy."

"You, too, John," Andy told him with a smile. "See you in the morning."

John, Mary, and Paige headed out of the attic, Prue once more standing and heading after them to get the door.

Cole stood up and looked down at Phoebe. "Do you want me to stay over, again?"

Phoebe considered this. "How about we talk about this downstairs?"

Leo walked around the couch and looked lovingly down at his wife. He extended his hand to her and they headed down the stairs together in sweet silence.

Watching them, Cole smiled back at Phoebe. "Sounds good to me," he agreed as he realized that he and Phoebe now had a chance to be that sort of a couple, too.

Andy watched as Phoebe and Cole left the attic, leaving him alone. He stood and paced around the attic, wondering if perhaps he should go downstairs, too, and meet Prue on her way back up. Another glance around the attic convinced him that it really was pointless to remain up there, so he strode over to the door and walked through it. He stopped on the top step to shut the door behind him, then smiled and walked down the steps. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Prue's voice stopped him.

"Going somewhere?"

Andy smiled. "And where would I go? I don't exactly have a house or apartment to go to anymore." With a grin he added, "And I'm mortal, again, so I'm not exactly going to be going Up There."

"You're welcome to stay here," Prue assured him.

"I hoped you would say that," Andy told her.

"I'm glad you're back," Prue said with a smile.

And so was he.


	10. Good Morning, Beloved

Chapter 4.1 – Good Morning, Beloved

The next morning sunlight streamed into Piper and Leo's bedroom. The sunlight bounced off Leo's closed eyelids. As he slowly began to come back to consciousness, his empty arms registered and thoughts flooded his mind of the last few days, thoughts of a bleak future without Piper. Then, the bed shifted and he felt the weight and heat of his wife as she rolled back into his arms. A smile spread onto his lips as he opened his eyes.

Piper was still sound asleep. Leo propped himself on his elbow and just watched her for several minutes, still in awe over this miracle. After a while, she opened her eyes and turned to look at him. "Good morning."

"Good indeed," Leo agreed with a ready smile. "It is a very good morning when I wake up with my beloved at my side. I never want to wake up like I have for the last few days, again, alone, without you."

Piper grinned. "Well, I don't intend on dying any time soon, so for now don't worry."

Instead of reassuring him, her words had the opposite effect. They made him think of the eventuality that he would outlive her.

Piper saw the somber look on his face and took his face in her hands. She smiled at him and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "Don't think about that, Leo. I'm here now, and I intend to be here for a very long time. Enjoy now. And who knows? With all these new rules, I might be such a good little witch that they'll make me a whitelighter, too, and then we can have eternity together."

Leo relaxed and smiled. "That would be wonderful. Although you a witch that the Elders would want to turn into a whiteligher? That I'd have to see. But you are right. We have now. And I plan on enjoying every single second of it. I love you, Piper."

"And I love you, my darling Leo," Piper told him as she gave him another kiss, longer this time.

Leo kissed her back and they remained that way for a few moments before Piper playfully pushed him away. "We had probably better get up," she told him with a teasing smile. "Our guest are due in," she paused and looked at the clock, "about a half an hour, maybe a little more. I don't think they would be too pleased to have us greet them just out of bed. We'll have time to ourselves later."

Leo sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Let's get up." He got up out of the bed and headed over to the dresser. He pulled open the drawer and started getting out his clothes for the day.

Behind him Piper also rose. She walked over to the closet and got out her favorite outfit, figuring this was a day to celebrate. Once she was dressed she joined her husband, who had headed into the bathroom. She began brushing her teeth and her hair, so glad that all were exactly as they were before she died, despite not having brushed either in a number of days.

Downstairs the doorbell rang, causing Piper to look up. "What if it's not them?"


	11. “Is Leo Anything Like Andy?”

Chapter 4.2 – "Is Leo Anything Like Andy?"

"Well, I'm done here," Leo told her, "so why don't I go down and get the door?"

Piper nodded with a smile. "Thanks. I'll be down shortly."

Leo smiled and gave her a quick kiss before leaving the room and heading down the stairs. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he could see the silhouettes of the three Matthewses. As he reached the foyer, he heard another knock on the door. "Coming." As he reached the door, he heard a sound behind him. He turned around and saw Piper heading down the stairs.

"Aren't you going to let them in?" Piper asked as she stopped on the stairs. She stepped out of the line of sight from the door. Just in case.

Leo turned the knob and opened the door. "Welcome back," he said as he stepped aside for the Matthewses to enter.

"Good morning," Paige replied with a smile. She wore a colorful top that some how looked artsy rather than crazy and matched perfectly with the knee-length dark floral skirt she had on. "I was thinking since you are now our whitelighter, I'd like to get a chance to know you. You can't be as finicky as Andy is."

Mary and John entered behind their daughter, John closing the daughter behind him, both of them laughing at their daughter's remarks.. As soon as the door was closed, Piper came back into view and began going down the stairs again.

"Piper?" Paige asked, causing Piper to stop near the bottom of the stairs.

"What?" Piper asked.

"I was wondering if you would mind if Dad and I took a look at your Book of Shadows. It amazes me that you have a Book for just your one family and it's still bigger than ours."

Piper laughed at that. "Sure, go ahead. I was actually about to start breakfast, but maybe Leo can show you." She looked at her husband in question and Leo nodded.

Paige grinned broadly. "Perfect, since I was hoping to get to know our new whitelighter, too." She paused and looked at Piper. "Say, you know them both. Is Leo anything like Andy?"

Piper blinked. The very thought was incredibly odd. With a straight face she replied. "No. They are both good men, but their personalities are nothing alike. They both believe in duty, but Leo will push the line for a good reason. We've often broken the Elders' rules if it meant helping an innocent or, well, being together," and she blushed.

"You're right," Paige agreed with a nod. "That's definitely a big difference. Andy always did what the Elders told him to do and never gave the orders a second thought. That's why I was so surprised when I found out that he had disobeyed the Elders to go be with Prue. It told me how close they must've been."

Piper nodded. "I watched him do that. It told me how much losing me and almost losing Phoebe must've hurt Prue. I wanted to go to both of them and let them know I was OK so badly, but Grams and Mom knew they needed that pain to get rid of Kernus."

Paige also nodded. "Like I needed my parents dead so I could. I'm just glad none of that was permanent." She reached out to hug her parents. "I know what it's like to have them back and I'm sure your sisters and husband feel the same way," and Leo nodded. "You don't mind me borrowing your husband for a little while then?"

"For a tour of my attic and a look at the Book?" Piper asked blandly. "No. Knock yourself out," and she smiled.

Leo lead the way back up to the attic with Paige and John following behind him.

When Mary chose to stay behind, Piper gave her a questioning look.


	12. Happy and Free

Chapter 4.3 – Happy and Free

"While they are up there, I was wondering if you wanted some help in the kitchen," Mary asked. "I appreciate not having to cook, but if you could use some help..."

Piper nodded. "It's always nice to meet a fellow cook. My sisters can't cook worth anything."

"Oh, I understand perfectly," Mary agreed. "Paige has her art and John has his spells, but neither of them has a clue on how to cook. My brother, Dave, can cook, but it isn't exactly on his top ten list of things to do, so that's usually a bust."

Piper laughed a little. "Well, you are welcome to help. Follow me." She stopped.. "Actually maybe I should point the way and get you to close a couple of windows blinds for me."

Mary stopped, a thoughtful look on her face. It was followed by a mischievous smirk that slowly spread across her lips. "I have a better idea. My husband may be the best spellwriter in our family, but that doesn't mean I can't cast one."

Piper waited, curious, as Mary considered her next words. Finally, Mary began to chant:

"_From now until it's now again,_

_Keep unknowing eyes from peeking in_

_Let all who now believe them dead,_

_See through the glass like Superman through lead."_

Piper burst out laughing at the end of that. "Superman?"

Mary shrugged. "Hey, it gets the point across. And as a kid, he was always my favorite superhero."

Piper smiled. "Mine, too. Only problem is it's so worded that we can't test it."

Mary shrugged. "I have enough faith in my spells to know that it will work. And besides, who is going to be in your backyard? Doesn't your kitchen face toward the back?"

Piper shook her head laughing. "Okay, fine. It should work. Let's go make breakfast."

* * *

A little later that morning, Phoebe woke up with the feeling of warm arms around her. She smiled and snuggled closer to Cole. This morning was so much different from yesterday, and yet it started so much the same with his arms around her. The difference, of course, was that yesterday those arms were cold and getting colder and her love was still a half-demon, one that she was certain would soon be a dead half-demon, something she would've never been able to stand the day they were going to bury Piper. As she turned her head enough so that she could see Cole looking down at her, she thought of the fact that Piper was alive and Cole was no longer a demon. Yes, this day couldn't have started better if it tried.

"Good morning, Beautiful," Cole greeted her with a big smile.

"Good morning," Phoebe responded in kind. _He looks somehow more peaceful. I wonder if that has to do with him being mortal now._

"It looks nice outside," Cole commented, for some reason unsure what to say.

"You looked, did you," Phoebe retorted as she sat up in bed.

Cole shook his head as he too propped himself up against the headboard. "Not really. There's just a lot of sun coming through that window," he said pointing lazily at the open drapes.

Phoebe smiled. "A sunny day. This day just keeps getting better and better!"

"Are you sure you don't mind no longer being a witch?" he asked, concern in his voice.

She shook her head. "If it means you getting to always be Cole and not Belthazar so I no longer have to fear needing to vanquish you, and if it means getting to have Piper back, no, not at all." Then she sighed. "I should probably get up," as she looked out the window. It couldn't be that early, since as he said the sun was bright, so both of her sisters were probably awake. A warm feeling flooded her at the thought of both of her sisters. Piper was alive. After the horror of losing her, it still wasn't quite real, but Piper was truly alive, and considering no one could know it but them, somewhere in this house. She was now as eager to see her sister again as she was to see her beloved. "Yes, I should probably get up."

"Are you sure?" Cole asked, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Phoebe turned her head to receive the next kiss on her lips, and then nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Piper needs a spell and, witch or no witch, I'm still the best spellwriter in this house." She shoved off the covers and climbed out of bed. She wiggled her toes as they hit the carpet and walked over to the dresser to get some clean clothes to change into. As she reached it, she turned around. "Are you coming?"

Cole grinned. "Well, since I can't get you to stay in bed, why not? Although at least I'm waking up to dry clothes and not wet ones," and Phoebe giggled. He climbed out of bed and went looking for the clothes he had discarded the night before. Not being able to shimmer over for clean clothes, because he hadn't prepared for this was a price easily paid for this feeling he had--a feeling of freedom, and the knowledge that he was no longer a demon.


	13. Happy Banter

Chapter 4.4 – Happy Banter

Down the hall and a couple doors down, Prue was looking out her bedroom window. Andy was still asleep in bed, and he looked so peaceful, she didn't want to wake him. She still didn't know enough about whitelighters to know if they needed sleep, but she did wonder when the last time Andy had been able to sleep in was. They had important things to do today, but they could wait. So longer as they had no visitors, the house was safe enough for her two formerly-dead loved ones. She heard a rustle behind her and turned away from the window. She found Andy rubbing sleep out of his eyes. It looked rather adorable. "Good morning."

Andy stopped rubbing his eyes and looked at her. "Good morning." He yawned. "What time is it?" he asked, surprised to feel hunger for the first time in three years.

"Just past ten," Prue admitted. "Piper's downstairs cooking breakfast. At least I think that's what she's doing. I haven't been down there to check, not yet. But I heard Leo let Paige and her parents in about half an hour ago. I was just about to go downstairs." She smiled at him. "Want me to get going so you can change? I have more of your clothes in the closet if you want."

"Don't leave on my account," Andy told her with a smile, "but your sister might want you down there."

Prue smiled. "All right, then I will see you when you come downstairs."

Andy climbed out of bed. "I'll join you shortly."

Prue walked over to him and pressed a kiss on his lips before heading for the door and out of the room.

* * *

Downstairs, Mary was washing and cutting pears at the sink. Piper was cooking at the stove. A stack of pancakes were piled high on a plate next to the stove and both bacon and scrambled eggs were cooking in the pan. At the sound of a chuckle escaping Piper's lips she turned away from the sink to look at Piper. "Care to share?"

"It's nothing," Piper told her, glancing away from the stove. "I was just thinking of what my Dad's response to all this will be when he finds out."

"Not magical, I take it?"

"Hardly," Piper replied with a laugh. "He'll be glad Prue and Phoebe aren't any more. I think he'll be just glad to see me alive."

"I imagine so," Mary agreed. "If anything were to happen to Paige, I would be very happy to have her back, with or without powers."

Piper nodded. "Exactly." She saw a shadow headed into the room, followed momentarily by her new half-sister. "Hi, Paige. So how did you like your tour of the attic?"

"Good," Paige told her with a smile. "My dad and your husband are now sitting on the couch in the front room discussing sports. When they got on the topic of baseball, I figured I'd better find something else to do."

Piper laughed. "Don't like baseball?"

"Baseball's great," Paige countered. "You should see my fastball. Even when it's not helped by my powers. I'm just not too interested in the stats of games that happened before I was born."

Piper held back another laugh as she moved the food she was cooking off the burner. It wasn't often that she considered exactly how old her husband was. "I see what you mean. I'm glad Leo found someone who also cares for such things. I sure don't and neither do my sisters or Cole."

Mary smiled. "Neither do I. But John has a photographic memory--part of the reason why he's so good with spells. And he reads everything and anything he can find about baseball, so he knows all of the stats from almost the first game ever played. I'm sure he's enjoying hearing about those older games from someone who actually saw them live."

"Since I'm here is there anything I can do to help?" Paige offered with an easy smile. "I prefer to keep busy."

Piper looked at the food she had just finished cooking. "Actually, we are about done in here, so unless you want to set the table, then I don't see what."

"I can set the table," Paige replied affably. "Just show me where to find the dishes."

Piper walked over to one of the cupboards. "Plates are kept here. Glasses," she said pointing, "are in there. And the utensils are in that drawer over by the sink," she finished pointing to a drawer. She looked up at the sound of footsteps, smiling as she saw Prue enter the room.

"I thought I'd find you in here," Prue told her as a smile bloomed on her face, thinking how great it was to walk in this room that meant Piper and find Piper there, so totally different than the previous morning. "How are you doing this morning?"


	14. MIA

Chapter 4.5 – M.I.A.

"Glad to be alive and here with the people I love," Piper told her before opening one of the cupboards in search of serving dishes for breakfast. She pulled out one of the dishes she wanted and turned to her sister. "And in my kitchen. Breakfast is ready; we're just getting it onto the table. Want to go see if Phoebe and Cole are up? I assume you know whether or not Andy is."

Prue gave her sister a broad grin. "Yes, Andy is up. He'll be down shortly. I'll go find out about Phoebe and Cole." She smiled. "Funny, I was doing the same thing 24 hours ago, wanting to know why they weren't down here yet. But what a huge difference," and she couldn't resist reaching out to hug her sister.

As Prue left the room Piper put the pancakes and the bacon and the eggs onto the serving dishes and carried them into the dinning room, while Mary carried the bowls of the artfully cut and arranged pears.

Paige was busy putting silverware near the dishes that already sat on the table. She looked up as Piper and her mother entered the room with the food. "Wow. That smells awesome."

Piper smiled as she started setting the serving dishes on the table. "Thanks. I hope it tastes just as good as it smells." She pulled a trivet off the nearby hutch and set the platter of pancakes on it. "I'm just thankful for the opportunity to get to know all of you better, and things just tend to be a lot more relaxing at mealtimes."

"I'll second that," Paige told her as she put the last fork down. "Dad and Mom have something to ask you along those lines, but it will hold until later."

"Now, you have me curious," Piper admitted. "Better not make me wait too long."

"Patience, Piper," Mary told her with a smile. "Be patient."

"Oh, I'm waiting," Piper assured her. "Have a seat, both of you."

"Hostess first," Paige replied.

Piper shrugged and sat down. Paige and Mary followed suit as Leo and John entered the room. "Have a seat, gentlemen," Piper told them. She caught her husband's eye and patted the seat next to her. Once everyone had sat down she said, "Prue's getting Phoebe and Cole. She said that Andy . . ." She trailed off as Andy entered the room. "Andy is here. Have a seat."

Andy sat down next to John with an empty seat between him and Leo on his left. Now if only Prue would come down with Phoebe and Cole. Remembering what had kept them from coming the previous morning made Andy nervous. That couldn't be the reason again; it simply couldn't.


	15. Everyone's Here

Chaper 5.1 – Everyone's Here

Andy turned at the sound of Prue returning. When he realized that she was alone, he tried to look around her to see if maybe Phoebe and Cole were behind her. _Surely she wouldn't look so unconcerned if her sister was in distress. They must be all right._

"Weren't you going after your sister and her boyfriend?" he asked, trying to keep the concern out of his voice.

"Those two," Prue shook her head with a smile.

At the sight of Prue's smile, Andy relaxed. _Whatever's going on it's obviously not bad._

Hearing Prue's words, Piper laughed. "So those two are still those two, huh?"

Much to the confusion of the three Matthewses, Prue nodded in response to Piper's cryptic words. Andy got it, but then, he knew Phoebe. He didn't know Cole very well, but he knew Phoebe enough to get it.

"Yup," was the sole word that accompanied Prue's nod. She walked over to the table and took the free seat between Andy and Leo.

At the even more confused look on the faces of Paige and her parents, Leo stepped in. "Don't worry about it. Believe me, you don't want to know."

"Well, I don't much care what they are doing," Piper said, rising from her seat, "but I'm not holding breakfast for them. It isn't fair to the rest of you."

She walked to the bottom of the stairs and yelled up. "If you guys don't come down, you can't blame me if you have to fix your own breakfast!" then returned to the dining room, unconcerned. She sat back down and turned to her guests. "Feel free to start eating. They know better than to be late."

Paige held back a laugh as she glanced in the direction of the stairs. She turned back to Piper with a grin. "Far be it from me to disappoint the cooks."

It was only a couple of minutes later when they heard the sound of feet running down the stairs. "Slow down," could be heard from the other room. Cole's voice.

Soon Phoebe stood framed in the door way. She stopped and Cole almost ran into her. She turned around and chided him. "You, my love, are out of shape."

"Sorry," Cole replied, chagrinned. "Up until now, when I was in a hurry I just shimmered. It's going to take some getting used to, this needing to run. One hundred plus years of habits are hard to break."

"One hundred plus years," Paige mouthed, staring at him and then at Prue, who merely shrugged.

Phoebe turned toward her family in the other room and took a big whiff. "Wow, that smells amazing, Piper!"

Piper laughed. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted me back solely for my cooking."

Phoebe shook her head quickly in denial. She quickly entered the room and almost ran over to where Piper was sitting. "No, no, no," she chanted as she hugged her big sister from behind. "I wanted you back; the cooking's just a bonus."


	16. Friendly Interrogation

Chapter 5.2 – Friendly Interrogation

Andy looked at Cole, who still stood in the doorway, an amused look on his face as he remembered the problems cooking had caused them the day before. Now, that it was over and everyone was no longer mad, he could look at it with amusement, even though just the day before it had caused so much trouble and had almost been the last straw that would've caused sister to permanently reject sister.

Cole saw Andy looking at him with amusement. Though he didn't know for sure, he could imagine that Andy's thoughts were on the same incident from yesterday that his were. After all, it was pretty much the only experience that the two had in common that would cause amusement. Well, other than Andy pouring water over his head yesterday, but Cole didn't really think that was funny. He walked around the table to where Phoebe was and took the chair two over from Piper, so that Phoebe could sit next to her sister, as he knew she would want.

Piper turned around in her seat and hugged her baby sister. "Oh, I know that, Phoebs. Believe me, I know that." She looked across the table at where Prue was sitting down, between Andy on her right and Leo at the head of the table to Prue's left. "I have the best sisters in the whole world."

"So does that mean that I have the best half-sisters in the whole world?" Paige queried with a quirky smile. "After all I know I have the best parents in the whole world."

Prue looked at her feeling uneasy. She was getting to like Paige and wanted her as a friend, but the whole half-sister thing was still just too weird.

Phoebe sank down into the chair immediately to Piper's left. She looked over Cole, to where Paige sat at the head of the table opposite Leo. She liked Paige, too, but she was slightly more receptive to the idea of Paige as her half-sister, now that she knew that Paige wouldn't try to usurp her as the baby of the family. She grinned as she nodded. "Yep. That most certainly does mean you have the best half-sisters in the whole world."

"Sisters," Piper stated firmly. "Half-sisters sounds like some one cut us into pieces."

Paige laughed. "Well, we can't have that."

"It's certainly a new concept," Piper admitted, "but it is all or nothing, and I see no point in denying it if we are to be friends." She grinned. "And considering you are my husband's charges now, I should hope we shall be friends."

Paige looked at her for a moment before nodding. "Agreed."

Phoebe grinned happily, but Prue kept her silence. The others were so wrapped up in their conversation they didn't notice, although both Andy and Leo did.

"So I would like to hear about you three," Piper told the Matthewses. "What do you do for a living? Do you live here in San Francisco or in one of the surrounding towns? Do you . . ?"

Leo put his hand on his wife's arm. "Slow down, Piper. They can only one question at a time."

Piper gave him a sheepish look. "I guess I am just very curious. For two and a half decades it's just been the three of us and suddenly we have learned that we actually have another sister. She has her own family, but I want her to be part of ours, too. To top that off, they are all to be your charges, so I am curious." She looked over at John, Mary, and Paige. "Do you mind telling us a bit about yourselves?"


	17. The Day Andy Died

Chapter 5.3 – The Day Andy Died

John shook his head. "No, I don't mind at all."

"You shared a unique experience with us," Mary added. "It's not too many people that get to come back after experiencing the afterlife."

"Time travelers and those turning back time need not apply," Phoebe added with a laugh that seemed to express a mixture of feelings as she looked across the table at Andy. Without time being turned back by Tempest, Phoebe would be dead and Andy never would have died. There had been times over the last two years that she wondered if perhaps Prue would have preferred that. Their relationship was still not the best, but it had come a long way since that first year as witches.

"I sense a story there," Mary commented with a laugh.

"More than you know," Phoebe admitted softly. "I was thinking of the day Andy died. It should have been me."

"Phoebe!" Piper exclaimed, stunned.

"Phoebe Penelope Halliwell!" Prue's voice shot across the table. "Don't you ever say that again!"

Phoebe closed her eyes and when she opened them she looked straight at Andy. "It was me, you know, the first time. They don't remember. I only have the vaguest impression of it, a sense of déjà vu all that day that I knew when it diverged. I knew I died. If time hadn't rewound you never would have died. Prue never would have lost you."

Prue stared across the table at Phoebe. "And you think I wanted to lose you? Phoebe!"

Andy looked across the table at Phoebe and shook his head. "It wasn't your time to die, Phoebe. Prue taught me that everything happens for a reason and my death was no exception. For two years I helped my charges in a way I never could have helped people as a police inspector. And now I am alive again. I don't know what I will do, but I will find a way to keep helping people. It's who I am."

For a long time there was silence as everyone ate their breakfast, unsure what to say. The silence wasn't broken until they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing from the front of the house.

Prue exhaled slowly. "I guess I'll go see who that is." She pushed her seat back and stood. Before she headed toward the door she looked over at Phoebe. "Phoebs, baby girl, I love you. No matter what I would never trade one person I love for another, so forget about it. Everything is going to work out, now more than ever. And had you died rather than Andy, maybe the nine of us wouldn't be sitting here now."

Prue headed out of the room and into the hall. She reached the door as the person on the other side rang the doorbell, again. The silhouette was familiar, but she hoped she was wrong. She turned the knob and pulled open the door. Surprised she demanded, "What are you doing here?"


	18. Awkward

Chapter 6.1 – Awkward

Victor stood there, sadness still shrouding him, pain in his eyes, looked at his eldest daughter, an uncomfortable look crossing his face. "I know you don't want me here, Pruden, I mean Prue, but I didn't want to be alone today. I just lost one of my little girls; please don't make me lose my other girls."

Prue stared at him, completely uncertain about what to say. _We haven't told him about Piper yet. He still thinks she's dead. Oh, Vic...Dad, I'm sorry_. Just because she didn't necessarily get along with him didn't mean she could let him keep on thinking Piper was dead.

"I brought breakfast," Victor added a little awkwardly. "I know that Piper was always the one who cooked for you guys, so I thought you might appreciate this."

Prue racked her brain for the right words. _This is really weird. People always said a death in a family had a way of bringing people together. Apparently, there must be some truth to that, because this is the first time I remember seeing Victor two days in a row since I was a little girl._

Victor bent down and retrieved a plastic container from the porch next to the door. When Prue still said nothing, he sighed. "If you want me to go, I'll leave. But can I just say hi to Phoebe first?"

Prue shook her head, trying to clear her mind.

Victor clearly took it as a rejection because his shoulders slumped and he started to turn away, "I see. I'll be going then."

"No, wait," Prue said, finally finding her tongue. "Come in. Things have been kind of crazy since Phoebe and I left P3 last night." She pulled the door open all the way and stepped out of the way.

Victor looked at her hesitantly. "You sure you don't mind?"

Prue nodded quickly. _I guess I really can't blame him for being cautious. I haven't exactly been friendly toward him, but it's not as if it's all my fault. I'm not the one who up and left their family. But he's still our father. I can't turn him away_. "Please, come in."

Victor stepped into the house carrying his breakfast offering. "I hope you haven't had breakfast already."

"Actually, we are in the middle of eating," Prue admitted. As if on cue, laughter bubbled out from the direction of the dinning room, Phoebe's laughter.

"She sounds happy," Victor remarked in surprise. "How can she be happy the day after..."

_She'd better be over that idea that she should have died instead of Andy,_ Prue thought as she looked in that direction. "Like I said, it's been crazy since last night. So many things have happened."

_Do I tell him about Paige? If I don't, then how do I explain her presence? If I do, I'll be hurting him because of Mom and Sam, but he knew about them._ Prue scrunched her face together in annoyance. _There are just too many options and none of them work. One thing's for certain, though. I can't let him into that room until I tell him about Piper._

* * *

I'm afraid that's all I can post for the moment. Several months ago, my computer crashed and I lost everything that wasn't saved elsewhere. This was one of the things I lost. Fortunately Es and Primrose have a copy of my original version, so Es was able to send the story back to me, but she missed a little bit. I had to get chapter three from her and now I only have part of chapter six, so I'm going to have to get the rest from her. I am getting close to having this up to date. Chapter eight is in posting elsewhere, I believe. It is in a different format that Primrose does, which looks pretty cool. Anyway, please let me know what you think of the story so far. Thanks.


	19. The Good Kind of Shocked

First a thank you to lizardmomma, my reviewer. While I would love to get reviews from more people I am so very thankful to her, for not only reviewing, but reviewing every chapter. Thank you.

Now, I'm going to try and respond to any comments that she made that might need it. First off, don't worry about missing that many chapters. In reality you missed one. I waited two months or so and when nothing happened, no reviews I decided to just go ahead and just start posting. I posted all the others in a matter of two days. I still have a few left that are ready. I just had to get them from Es, since my computer had crashed and this story with it back in April or so. I suppose the angel could have helped them, but since he didn't in the story I decided to stick with that. Besides, it makes for a more interesting challenge when they have to learn a way around these things. I quite agree on Darryl. I hope he doesn't get any more murders to deal with any time soon. He deserves a break. I agree that the glamour thing worked well in season eight and these guys have an advantage over them. They don't have to worry about personal gain issues. It's taken a while, but we (myself, JustEs, and Primrose_Empath) have figured out most of their identity issues, names and everything. Be prepared for surprises there, especially Andy. I love Es' idea on that one and can't wait to see Prue's reaction. Es took my idea and came up with the perfect option. Yep, Paige's parents are going to be around a lot. Each girl has her support. For Prue it's Andy. For Piper is Leo. For Phoebe is Cole. For Paige it's her parents. I like the differences between Andy and Leo too. They are two very different men and both of them well suited to be a whitelighter (except perhaps in "Witchstock", because something was up with hippie Leo there). Ah, the Superman spell. It's been a while, but I know I wrote it. I think Es tweaked it to make it sound better. Or maybe she just tweaked the dialogue around it. I don't recall. You're going to have to wait on what Mary wants to ask Piper. It's coming up, but they've got several things to do first. Yes, we had an amusing conversation about the cooking. *Looks Innocent*. Don't actually recall the conversation, but it was amusing. Not learning about Paige's family was something that bugged me. I mean I know they wanted her to be part of the family, but she had a past, too, a family who loved her, some of whom where still alive (*cough* Uncle Dave and Aunt Julie *cough*). Of course you already know that it was Victor by the time you read this, but I figured I'd respond to that. They didn't contact him sooner, because they got caught up in things, and it was late, and it was kind of the excitement of everything. They really should have, but they didn't. I have another story where Victor finds out that he has a formerly dead daughter alive, but the reason he doesn't find out until the next morning is much more simple. _I_ forgot.

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Chapter 6.2 – The Good Kind of Shocked

"How are you holding up, Prue?" Victor asked hesitantly.

"Things have only gone uphill since we defeated Kernus," Prue replied without thought and then cursed herself when she recalled that this would have been impossible without Paige. She just hoped that Victor didn't realize that defeating Kernus required The Power of Three.

No such luck. Victor looked at her confused. "But I thought you needed the . . ." He trailed off, looking at his oldest daughter suspiciously. Of course he would know as much as possible about the being responsible for the death of one of his daughters, even a magical being. "What aren't you telling me, Prudence . . . Prue?" Her nickname was clearly not easy for him to get use to.

"Dad."

Victor's head whiplashed around to see his middle daughter standing in the doorway between the foyer and the kitchen. "Piper." He turned white before her eyes and began to wobble.

Piper waved her hands, freezing Victor in place. She walked over and took the container of food out of his hands. She put the food on a nearby end table and turned to Prue, wryly. "Clearly coming in here was a bad idea."

"You think?" Prue replied dryly.

"Clearly not the way to let him know I'm alive."

Prue nodded. "Is there a good way?"

"Nope," Piper admitted, looking at Victor. "None. Want to make sure he doesn't fall when I unfreeze him?"

Prue nodded. Now was not the time to think about her own feelings for Victor. This was about Piper. She walked up behind Victor and put a steadying hand on him as Piper waved her hands to unfreeze him.

Victor did a double take as suddenly not only was Piper there, but she was several feet closer to him than the saecond before and Prudence, Prue, had moved, too. Having abeen around Patty for so long, he should've been able to figure out that he had been frozen, but that thought never crossed his mind; he was much too shocked. "Wha . . . what?" His voice wobbled worse than his body did. He looked straight at Piper, skin pale as a sheet and eyes wide as saucers. "Ppppiper?"

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So there you have that. Next section to be posted once a review or two *puppy dog eyes at anyone lurking* shows up.

And yes, I did mean "Shocked" in the title rather than "Shock". Not sure if anyone else besides me will look at that funny, but it conveyed what I meant better.


	20. One of Those Magical Things

First a thank you to my reviewers:

ariex – Thank you for checking out and reviewing this story. I hope you continued to read and enjoy it.

lizardmomma – I think you are right, but then I was responding to fifteen reviews. :) This next one isn't very long either, but I hope you enjoy it.

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Chapter 6.3 – One of Those Magical Things

Piper gave him an apologetic smile. "Hi, Dad."

"But . . . I thought . . . aren't you . . ." His shoulders slumped as he trailed off.

"It's okay, Dad," Piper reassured him.

An idea popped into Victor's head, one that visibly relaxed him. "This is one of these magical things, right, like when your mom and your grandmother were at your wedding to Leo."

"Sort of," Piper agreed hesitantly. "Not exactly."

"You are dead, aren't you?" Victor asked.

Piper smirked. "That's the sort of part."

"You didn't die," Victor accused, turning to glare at Prue. "You must've faked your death. Your sisters told me. . ."

"I did die," Piper interrupted. "But I got a second chance."

Victor stared her. He gave Prue an apologetic look.

Prue decided she'd give him that one free, since she had been the one to tell him Piper was dead. Although Phoebe had told her to, she was the one who actually told him.

"Can I have a hug, Dad?" Piper requested softly. "Please?"

Victor stared at her for several seconds. When he moved it was to touch her arm. Once he had assured himself that she wasn't going to vanish before his eyes, he pulled her into a tight hug.

Prue stood off to the side, watching. She sighed. One less hard thing to do. She had no idea how she would have told him, but now he knew. _Oh, Piper. I don't know what we would have done without you. You are forever smoothing things over, between Phoebe and me and now between Vic . . . Dad and me. Just like you always did._

There was, of course, still the question of how to tell Victor about Paige. "Ah . . . Dad."

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That's the end of chapter six, but there's more to come. Chapter seven is just waiting to be posted, so review and I'll post it.


	21. Victor and Freezing

First a thank you to my reviewers:

ariex – Yeah, I was really bad at getting them to tell him, but I guess that's because this is not easy information to tell your dad.

lizardmomma – Yeah, he won't be happy to hear that, but right now they are trying to figure out how to tell him.

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Chapter 7.1 – Victor and Freezing

Victor let go of Piper and looked at his oldest daughter. "What is it, Prue?" Still in awe of everything, but no longer stressed, he had a much easier time remembering to call her Prue.

Normally confident, Prue was at a loss. She sighed. _Might as well go for broke. It's really another one of those things that's hard to prepare for._ "It's about Mom."

Victor frowned. "About Patty?"

Prue nodded.

Piper waved her hands and froze Victor, again. "What are you doing, Prue?"

Prue frowned at Piper. "I have to tell him something about Paige. Would you please unfreeze him so that I can tell him?"

Piper shook her head. "You can't just hit him with that right after the shock of finding out I'm alive. It just won't work."

"It will work," Prue argued. "Maybe the happiness over learning you're alive will even help with it."

Piper glanced at Victor. "It still sounds like a bad idea."

"Well, I've let him in, so I'm not going to just bar him from the kitchen. Paige may not be our twin, but she certainly looks related. He's bound to notice." _Hard to discount her, when looking at her makes me think of my family. She has the look of a Halliwell. It would be so much easier if that was because she was a cousin or something._

Piper sighed. "Be nice."

"How do you be nice with that?" Prue wanted to know.

Piper scowled. "Let me, then."

Prue waved her hand in Victor's direction. "Be my guest."

Piper waved her hands and Victor started moving again.

Victor frowned as he looked around. "You moved again," he commented, confused. Vague memories invaded his mind as he recalled many years ago having had similar things happen around Patty. "You're doing something to me," he said suspiciously, looking at his two older daughters. "What's going on?"

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Poor Victor. Piper keeps freezing him. Piper could do that to Prue and Phoebe now, too, since they aren't witches anymore. Just a random thought that appeared in my mind. Anyway, I'll try and get the next piece up sooner after I get reviews.


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